Florida DBPR inspection reports are public documents — but they're written for regulators, not diners. A typical report lists dozens of coded violations with regulatory citations that mean nothing to most readers.
This guide translates the key sections into plain language so you can read any Florida restaurant inspection in under two minutes and know exactly what to focus on.
The Report Header: What to Check First
The top of every DBPR inspection report contains the establishment name, license number, inspection date, and inspector ID. The most important field here is the inspection type — routine inspections are scheduled, while complaint-driven or callback inspections tell a different story. A callback inspection means a prior violation was serious enough to require a return visit.
Reading the Violation List
Each violation entry includes a code number, a text description, and a priority classification (High Priority, Intermediate, or Basic). Many entries also include an "Observed" field with the inspector's specific notes — this is where the real signal lives. "Cold holding: chicken at 47°F" is more actionable than the generic category label alone.
Look for the phrase "corrected on-site" next to a violation. This means the inspector watched staff fix the issue during the inspection visit. A corrected-on-site High Priority violation is meaningfully less concerning than one that wasn't addressed.
Priority Levels Explained
High Priority violations are directly linked to foodborne illness risk — temperature abuse, pest evidence, bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food. These are the violations to read carefully. Intermediate violations are systemic gaps like missing certifications or inadequate handwashing setup. Basic violations are maintenance and procedural items — the most common and lowest-risk category.
Scores and Grades
ClearCraves translates DBPR inspection data into a ClearScore (0–100) and letter grade. The score weights High Priority violations more heavily than Intermediate or Basic, and applies a recency adjustment so older inspections count less than recent ones. A score above 90 is an A; below 40 is an F. See the sidebar for the full scale.
Reading the Inspection History
A single inspection is a snapshot. The inspection history is the film. Always look at whether violations are improving, stable, or recurring across multiple inspections. A restaurant with one bad inspection followed by a clean callback is in a very different position than one with the same High Priority violation cited in every inspection for two years. See our full decision framework for how to weigh this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. All DBPR food service inspection reports are public records, searchable at myfloridalicense.com. ClearCraves also surfaces them in a more readable format organized by city.
It means the inspector watched the violation be fixed during the inspection visit. Corrected-on-site violations, particularly High Priority ones, are less concerning than uncorrected violations — the kitchen responded immediately when told about the problem.
Most Florida food service establishments are inspected twice per year under routine scheduling. Additional inspections occur in response to complaints or as callbacks when a prior inspection revealed serious violations. See our guide on inspection frequency for more detail.
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grades for thousands of Florida restaurants.